Photo credit: Michael Hnatov
Accession Number: C.2013.637.1
Dimensions: 98 in X 76 in
Dimensions (Metric): 248.92 cm X 193.04 cm
Credit Line: Gift of the American Red Cross
El Dia se Convirtio en Noche
Description
Painting titled El Dia se Convirtio en Noche (The Day Turned into Night) by Felipe Ucedo. The upper portion of the canvas depicts people of various origins leaning on a globe, as if they are embracing it. The globe, with a red cross at its center, is held by a Red Cross relief worker. Also at the top are a bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, and the motto "E Pluribus Unum," which translates to "out of many, one." The lower portion of the canvas depicts rescue and recovery workers at Ground Zero, first responders, medical professionals, and in the center a child embraced by a Red Cross worker.
Historical Notes
On September 11, 2001, Felipe Ucedo was on Canal Street when he heard a loud boom that caused an immediate frenzy among the stunned street traffic. Fixated on the sight of a gaping hole in the North Tower’s façade, Ucedo stood in awe and watched as Flight 175 sliced into the South Tower minutes later. Profoundly disturbed by what he had witnessed, night after night Ucedo joined strangers in prayer, getting as close as they could to the locus of the devastation. While volunteering with the American Red Cross at the Family Assistance Center and the Disaster Assistance Service Center at Pier 94, Ucedo was inspired to execute this work, titled El Dia se Convirtio en Noche which was soon placed on display at Pier 94.